Liliana Santos obtained her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2025 from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, with a thesis focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction in HER2¿ breast cancer brain metastases and their therapeutic implications. She holds a Master’s degree in Molecular Oncology from the Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, reflecting a coherent academic progression in cancer biology, neuro-oncology, and translational research. Her scientific trajectory has been developed in competitive national and European research environments. She was awarded a PhD in Industry fellowship funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), which she carried out at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS Pharma). This program provided advanced training in translational research, regulatory frameworks, project management, and clinically oriented development. Within this context, she conducted preclinical studies using zirconium-89- and copper-64-labelled radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging, as well as lutetium-177–based targeted radionuclide therapies for breast cancer and HER2¿ brain metastases resistant to conventional treatments. In parallel, she performed mechanistic studies in collaboration with the Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR/FMUC), uncovering molecular and cellular drivers of BBB dysfunction during brain metastatic progression. This work established a research line at the interface of neurovascular biology and tumor–host interactions, which now defines her postdoctoral activity and independent scientific trajectory. She is currently a contracted Junior Researcher at iCBR/FMUC, integrated into the Horizon Europe Excellence Hub project CHAngeing (ref. 101087071), where she investigates mechanisms of neurovascular dysfunction and cerebrovascular alterations across disease models, including pharmacological strategies to modulate vascular and neurovascular function. Liliana Santos has authored 9 peer-reviewed publications, including 2 as first author, with over 193 citations and an h-index of 7 (Web of Science). Her work has been published in internationally recognized journals, including Neuro-Oncology and Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research. She actively disseminates her research through 12 oral communications and over 20 poster presentations and has received multiple distinctions, including Best Oral and Poster Communication Awards and the international JJ Pedroso de Lima Prize. She is a member of ASPIC and EACR.